News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-12-08
MYSTERIES OF A DAY.
NOIABLE EVENTS RECORDED
IN THE PAPERS.

NOTABLE EVENTS RECORDED
IN THE PAPERS.
a Narrow Escape-Reclaimed Land
Jones and Johnson-A New
Maine Law-Voudoo, Etc, Etc.
G. W. DRUM, of San Francisco,
who Is IA years old, and white haired
and white bearded, has Just re-
Turned from New Mexico and west
ern Texas, where he spent the sum-
mer collecting insects. He collected
5000, and will sell them to collectors,
colleges, and schools. He has been
hunting bugs since 1874, and has had
some queer adventures He thus de-
sc1bes a couple: ''Twice / escaped
from the Apaches miraculously. I was
catching insects one day in a little brush
patch on the Ration Mountains. l had
Just risen up, when 1 saw big Indian
looking down into nv net. He strobe
away. That night four wood choppers
half a mile away from me were killed.
L was left unframed. One day I went
on top of high knoll in the Milestone
Mountains, where there WIS spring to
get drink. Brush surrounded it, aud
when 1 stepped to the edge of the
spring [ saw five Indians sitting there
couldn't back out, so 1 asked for their
TN cup, drank, and came away. They
killed four or five whites near at hand.
but didn't bother me. They took me
for some sort of medicine, man, with
my nets for insect catching, and on ac-
count of my white hair and beard, and
that's why escaped"
In Providence there are two men who
look very much alike, and who may be
called Jones and johnson. Jones is a
rather influential member of q congre-
cation presided over by q new pastor,
who, soon after his installation, started
out with a subscription paper in
worthy cause. He met johnson on the
street. sob, my dear Mr.. JONES'"
said he, 81 have been told that YOU are
interested In this cause. I hope that
you will give freely" Certainly" said
johnson, who was quick-witted. "Put
me down for $780," Days passed and
Jones didn't send the money; so the
parson called at his Office, and said he'd
be glad to have the money. "What
money!" asked Jones. why the 300
that you subscribed" Jones couldn't
remember any such subscription; but
he did remember about that time he
was on quiet and very private spree.
Could he have met the pastor then and
subscribed Possibly, and so, rather
than confess his weakness to his pastor,
he paid the 800.
HE other day the writer was on the
road to Farmersville, Canada, and had
had to wait some time at the Elbe toll
gate, which was blocked up by wagon
with a hayrack. As we finally drove ND
and handed over our cents the old
lady in charge of the gate said: eff
you'll wait long enough I'll tell YOU
why that man was so long here. You
see, this morning he went past with n
load of hay so large that it would not
go through the gate. To help him out
of trouble my husband and myself got
rails from the fence and fixed ND the |
side of the road so he could drive
around the gate, and he got by without
unloading. When he came back Just
now he refused to pay more than one
way, as he said he had only gone through
the gate once. What do you think of
that! z" asked the old lady, as we drove
on.
IT isn't always safe to play jokes on
watchmen. Some smart young New
Haven men thought they'd have fun
with Private Watchman Wilcox. One
told him that suspicious men were
around, so he got out his revolver and
sat down outside the building. Two .
sTlsnleiously acting men came along,
Ii ii one of them, after moments con- ]
versation with Wilcox, snatched the re- ]
volver and ran. That's where he made
a mistake, for the Waterman had shot
gun by the side of him and he drove
load of shot into the runners legs,
bringing him to a halt in hurry. Then
he was recognized as one OF the young
men VINO thought that it would be a
big joke to disarm the watchman. The
doctors haven't picked all the shot out
of his legs yet
An engineer who has been studying
the question of irrigating unreclaimed
land in Nevada says that there is
enough water in Lake Tahoe to irrigate
1000, 900 acres, and he believes that the
water can be taken out of the lake by
means of gigantic iron siphon a mile
and half long The lake is 400 feet
above Carson Valley, and the power
generated by the consequent enormous
water pressure could be utilized by all
sorts of manufacturing establishments,
and by a system of check valves the
water could be taken out anywhere be-
tween the highest point of the lake and
the lowest part of the valley. This en-
gineer thinks that it is only question
of time when, by some plan like this,
all the lands of Nevada will be re-
claimed.
A NOVEL craft is being built in Mon
treal. It is a steam catamaran, each of
the cigar-shaped hulls being of steel,
sixty fyefeet long, and built in
two compartments one being
for water ballast and the other for stove
coal oil, which will be used for fuel.
Two vertical engines will furnish the
power to two propellers, which are SO
arranged that they will lift themselves
out of the way when the hulls strike
floating ice or other obstacles. The
boat can be taken apart and packed on
a ship, and is intended for whale and
walrus hunting in the Arctic regions
1t will carry Gatling gun and a pow
erful electric battery.
Mr.. JONES. with his wife and child,
lived happily and prosperousIy in a
little home in Nanticoke, Pa, until re-
Gently, when an old woman called at
their house and demanded food. The
hideousness of the woman's appearance
frightened Mrs. Jones and she slammed
the door in her face. The old bag
cursed the family and went away. A
few days later Mr.. Jones became sick,
and has not been able to work since;
their child became sick also, and at last
the wife, their money being exhausted,
called on Burgess Powell, and said she
thought they had been ''voudooed, " and
wanted aid to return to their home in
England.
As Mrs. A. E. BENNETT, of Paynes-
vile, Mimi, was returning home in the
evening she was followed by a wild
mink, which trotted after her like dog
without manifesting fear or an offensive
disposition. When Mrs. Bennett reached
her house she held open the door and
awaited developments. His minkship
hesitated a moment, and then dashed
through the doorway and up two flights
of stairs, and proceeded to make him
self at home. A cage was procured for
the strange pet, and it is now as tame
as a kitten with the members of the
household, although it resists the adj
vancement of strangers.
A DULUTH newspaper, telling of the
power of the magnetic iron ore Of that
vicinity, says that the miners have to
wear moccasins, because the ore draws